To Chat or Not to Chat? That is the Question.
Authors: Furat Mousa, Daniel Moore, Xinyue Wang, Yvonne Lee
The GSRS editorial board wanted to offer a post that might help student writers navigate the pros and cons of using a large language model like ChatGPT. We know there are many instances and iterations of generative AI systems, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT is only one. However, on our campus, it happens to be one of the most widely used.
ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a chatbot, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that was released in November of 2022 by the company OpenAI. It has been designed to be a tool that allows the user to enter a prompt into the chatbox, and receive a “human-sounding” response that has been pieced together by the bot from the information stored in its database. So, we thought we’d put it to work.
We prompted,
Write a blog post describing ChatGPT, its benefits, and any reasons to exercise caution when using it to support academic writing.
This is what it generated.
The Benefits of ChatGPT for Academic Writing
Efficiency and Productivity: ChatGPT can significantly boost your writing efficiency. It’s available 24/7 and can help you brainstorm ideas, structure your thoughts, and even generate drafts for your academic papers. This can save you valuable time and reduce the pressure of tight deadlines.
Idea Generation: ChatGPT can inspire you with fresh ideas and perspectives. It can suggest relevant topics, research questions, and keywords, helping you kickstart your writing process. This is particularly valuable for students who may struggle with writer’s block.
Grammar and Spelling Assistance: ChatGPT can provide real-time grammar and spelling checks, improving the overall quality of your writing. It can help ensure your work is polished and free of errors.
Research Assistance: ChatGPT can assist in finding credible sources, summarizing articles, and even helping you create citations. It can be a valuable research companion for students and academics alike.
Learning and Skill Development: Interacting with ChatGPT can help you learn more about different writing styles, structures, and argumentation. It can serve as a learning tool, improving your writing skills over time.
Reasons to Exercise Caution
While ChatGPT offers several benefits for academic writing, it’s crucial to be aware of the potential pitfalls:
Plagiarism Concerns: It’s easy to become overly reliant on ChatGPT, leading to issues of unintentional plagiarism. Always double-check the content generated by the AI to ensure it aligns with academic integrity guidelines.
Lack of Critical Thinking: ChatGPT can provide ideas and information, but it can’t replace your critical thinking skills. It’s essential to independently analyze and evaluate the information you receive, ensuring it’s accurate and relevant to your research.
Overcoming Writer’s Block: While ChatGPT can help overcome writer’s block, using it exclusively may prevent you from developing your own creative and critical thinking skills. Balance is key – use it as a tool for inspiration rather than a complete replacement for your writing process.
Inaccurate Information: ChatGPT relies on the data it has been trained on, which might not always be up-to-date or entirely accurate. Cross-verify any information it provides, especially for cutting-edge research.
Privacy Concerns: When using ChatGPT, be cautious about sharing sensitive or personal information. Ensure you are using a secure and private platform, especially if you are discussing unpublished research or sharing personal details.
Conclusion
ChatGPT is a powerful AI tool that can significantly enhance academic writing. Its efficiency, idea generation capabilities, and grammar assistance are invaluable. However, it is essential to use it mindfully, exercise caution to avoid plagiarism, and maintain a balance between AI assistance and independent critical thinking. With proper guidance and awareness, ChatGPT can be a game-changer in the world of academic writing, improving your writing process and expanding your creative horizons.
Thanks, ChatGPT. While informative, we don’t think it could have been any less engaging. Lol.
Let’s think about our question of “pros and cons” for a minute. In fact, let’s further focus our exploration within academia. We think this is fitting given that we are all currently genuflecting at the altar of higher education.
Scenario: A Student at a Crossroads
Let’s begin with a common scenario that considers the motive of the user by considering our hypothetical student. Let’s call them Philomena; Phy for short. Phy is a first-semester graduate student enrolled in four graduate-level classes, works 20-hours a week as a graduate assistant in the Graduate Education and Life Office, enjoys hiking, and has a significant other who is not in graduate school. It’s week 6 of the semester, and Phy feels quite overwhelmed. Phy finds themself questioning the purpose of this 10-page assignment. It just feels like busy work, especially because it will never be seen by anyone but the professor.
So, to save valuable time, Phy opens ChatGPT and prompts it to write a paper on the effects of childhood trauma on adult mental health. It is at this point that Phy finds themself at a crossroads.
Do they submit ChatGPT’s response as their own work? Nobody will ever know because ChatGPT doesn’t give the same answer twice.
Do they use ChatGPT’s response as a foundation? They could rework it to sound more like them and even conduct a bit of their own research for good effect. Then, they feel like they will at least have learned something.
Phy’s motivation to use ChatGPT may be that it saves them valuable time by not having to do the hard work of coming up with the first draft. Their motivation may be that they don’t understand that the purpose of the 10-page essay is more than likely not only to delve deeper into one element of the field but also to develop their critical thinking and writing skills.
If Phy were to decide to submit the ChatGPT response, whether altered or not, to the professor as their own work without prior approval from the professor, then it is possible the professor could consider it plagiarism, which would likely lead to disciplinary action if it were discovered.
On the other hand, Phy could decide to get a better handle on why they are having so much difficulty managing their time, and they could do a root cause analysis[1]. By conducting root cause analysis, Phy may discover that learning effective time management skills, proper note taking techniques, and learning more about the purpose of academic integrity in a supportive manner, will reduce the likelihood of experiencing a stressful time crunch, thereby reducing the likelihood of submitting ChatGPT’s response as their own work.
[1] As an example of how to conduct root cause analysis, learn how the 5 Whys was applied in the real world for maintenance of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC and how that experience led to new lessons and unexpected cost savings.
[1] As an example of how to conduct root cause analysis, learn how the 5 Whys was applied in the real world for maintenance of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC and how that experience led to new lessons and unexpected cost savings.
ChatGPT vs Human Writing Consultant
What if Phy had decided to use their time to meet with a writing consultant in the Graduate Writers’ Studio? The two charts below provide some of the pros and cons of proceeding with either choice.
Table 1: Pros and cons of using ChatGPT
| Pros of ChatGPT | Cons of ChatGPT |
| Available 24/7 | Over reliance takes away opportunities for the user to strengthen skills such as critical thinking. |
| Capable of assisting with brainstorming ideas and generating drafts in various writing styles, thus saving the user’s time and may enhance the user’s writing skills. | Can only recommend data that is stored in the system. It will not always contain the most recent knowledge. |
| Instantly provides sources, creates citations, summarizes articles, grammar checks and spelling checks. | Created citations may be hallucinated.
May lead to unintentional plagiarism since ChatGPT is not familiar with the academic integrity guidelines of the assignment. |
Table 2: Pros and cons of using human consultant
|
Pros of Human Consultant |
Cons of Human Consultant |
| Consultant can provide an opportunity for the writer to see a new perspective, which can help strengthen their skills. | Limited Availability |
| Consultant can help students locate reliable sources in real time. | May not know enough about the topic and has to recommend a referral, thus more time is required to obtain the desired data. |
| Can read the draft prior to submission and provide feedback regarding meeting the academic integrity guidelines. | Will not create citations, summaries, etc… for the student. |
Ultimately, each writer must decide for themselves what the best course of action is, and “best” might not be defined the same by different people. “Best” likely will not be defined the same way by the same person in a different context.
If a writer here at Lehigh University does want to limit their dependence on ChatGPT and its ilk and wants to do the hard and rewarding work of strengthening their critical thinking and communication skills, there are many resources to which they can turn.
Helpful Services at Lehigh University (LU)
These services are available to enhance the quality of life and academic success of LU students, thus potentially reducing the likelihood of plagiarism, whether it is intentional or unintentional.
| Academic Services |
| Graduate Writers’ Studio |
| Online Writing Lab (OWL) |
| Goal Setting & Time Management |
| Study Skills Appointment |
| Health Services |
| Health & Wellness Center |
| Taylor Gym and Welch Fitness Center |
| Food Pantry @ Johnson Hall & Iacocca Hall |
| Lehigh University Community & Belonging Services |
| Office of Multicultural Affairs |
| Spirituality: The Dialogue Center and Jewish Center Hillel |
| Office of International Affairs |
| Clubs & Organizations |
Bibliography
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ASQ TV. “Five Whys Jefferson Memorial Example.” YouTube, uploaded by Danielle Young, 23 Mar. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEQvq99PZwo. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
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Dominello, Nickolas. “The Importance of Critical Thinking Skills, For Students and Ourselves.” Southern New Hampshire University, 19 Jul. 2024, www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/education/importance-of-critical-thinking-skills. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
Han, Esther. “Root Cause Analysis: What It Is & How To Perform One.” Harvard Business School Online, 7 Mar. 2023, online.hbs.edu/blog/post/root-cause-analysis. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
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Stryker, Cole, and Kavlakoglu, Eda. What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? IBM, 16 Aug. 2024, www.ibm.com/topics/artificial-intelligence. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
Trachtenberg, Ben. “ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence, and Academic Integrity.” Office of Academic Integrity, University of Missouri, Aug. 2023, oai.missouri.edu/chatgpt-artificial-intelligence-and-academic-integrity/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. LibGuides. “Peer Review: An Introduction: Where to Find Peer Reviewed Sources.” University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, guides.library.illinois.edu/peerreview/find. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
UNSW Sydney. “Techniques and Tips for Listening and Note Taking.” UNSW Sydney, 25 Mar. 2022, www.student.unsw.edu.au/notetaking-tips. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
“Upholding Academic Integrity and Community Standards at Lehigh.” Lehigh University, pp. 1-7, www.lehigh.edu/lts/official/Academic_Integrity_Vignettes.pdf. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
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